Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi says his side can’t focus on Riyad Mahrez if they want to be successful in the African Cup of Nations.
Captain Mahrez was on target in Algeria's opening AFCON win over Kenya, leading City fans to wonder if he will build some form in the tournament to carry into the new season.
Algeria are not considered one of the teams realistically likely to win the tournament, but a good result against joint-favourites Senegal could put them in a good position to qualify as group winners.
And Belmadi said in order for his side to upset the odds, they must avoid putting all the pressure on Mahrez.
City's record signing is Algeria's most high-profile player, but Belmadi suggested that both Mahrez and his teammates will perform better if the pressure is shared.
After beating Kenya, he said: “I do not like highlighting players. We need to put a little less focus on Mahrez if we want to make this a big tournament for us.
“It means a lot to win the first match in any competition. We used to start poorly, it was always difficult for us to start well at the Africa Cup.
“In our history, most of the time, we often lost the first match, so this is also a message to the players that we can go far.
“We expect a tough match against Senegal, the tournament favourite. It’s a challenge we have to take on."
Algeria will complete their group fixtures against Tanzania after facing Senegal.
